Keys To The Game: Michigan Wolverines Football vs. Maryland
Maryland started the season in disarray, losing a teammate in a preseason tragedy and having head coach D.J. Durkin, the former U-M defensive coordinator, suspended as a result.
The Terrapins could have folded, and most would have understood. Instead, they rallied to down Texas — in hindsight, a pretty good win given that the Longhorns have ripped off four straight victories, two of them impressively, to re-enter the national rankings at No. 19 — and have looked really good at times under interim coach Matt Canada.
Other than a poor showing versus Temple in a 35-14home loss, the Terps have been impressive offensively, scoring 34, 45 and 42 points in their victories. They’ve recruited well under Durkin and have some athletes on both sides of the ball.
Still, they enter this weekend’s game as a 17-point underdog. Here’s what the Wolverines need to do to win Saturday’s game with Maryland:
Have success running the ball: Maryland’s run defense is extremely stingy, having allowed only 2.67 yards per carry through four games. At the same time, the two best teams they’ve beaten — Minnesota and Texas — rank 84th and 91st nationally in rushing yardage, respectively. Temple ranks even worse at No. 97, and the Owls rat for 165 yards behind a 118-yard rushing performance from its top running back.
Northwestern scouted Michigan well last week and took away the pulling guard action, forcing U-M to go with more man blocking from the second quarter on. The Wolverines still moved the ball well on the ground for much of the game behind senior Karan Higdon’s 115 yards. There’s a solid chance for rain Saturday, so being able to control the line of scrimmage could be critical.
Avoid big plays by the Maryland run game and control early downs: Despite playing just four games, the Terrapins are tied for 15th in the country in runs of 10 yards or more (37) and they’re tied for 10th in carries that go for 20-plus (13). They’ve got explosive backs and average 6.19 yards per carry,. Five different players have touchdown runs of 21 yards or more, and there have been two touchdown runs over 60 yards — Maryland is tied for fourth in the land with a pair of runs that have gone at least 60.
Maryland had great success on jet sweeps in a blowout win over Minnesota, and there’s a lot of team speed on offense. U-M needs to force passing situation on second and third down — the Terps rank 122nd in passing offense at 141.3 yards per game and are tied for 100th nationally with only 6.6 yards per passing attempt.
Come out sharp on defense: Michigan’s defense ranks first overall nationally, and as coordinator Don Brown noted Wednesday, his units have been among the best in the nation for the last four years. While it’s nice, he said, that’s not the goal. The goal is to win football games, and U-M could have stolen one at Notre Dame even with the offense struggling had there not been huge defensive lapses at the beginning of the game.
The Wolverines fell behind 14-0 at Notre Dame and 17-0 Northwestern when both teams marched the field on them early. The defense adjusted, but this group needs to set the tone early and allow the offense to play with a lead.
The Breakdown: Maryland is a dangerous team. There’s a reason offensive coordinator and interim head coach Canada is considered one of college football’s better offensive minds — he knows how to play to his strengths, and his teams are putting up big numbers during Durkin’s suspension.
Still, this is a game Michigan should win, though the Wolverines might have to grind one out to do it. Maryland is 18th nationally in plays of 10 yards or more allowed (47) and doesn’t give up the huge play. The Terrapins are one of only 16 teams this year not to have allowed a play of 50 yards or more, so the home-run ball could be tough to come by.
U-M will have to play well to pull away.
TheWolverine.com Staff Picks
TheWolverine.com Senior Editor Chris Balas: Michigan 31, Maryland 13
This is a pretty solid Maryland team, and the Terrapins will be rested and ready coming off a bye week. But the Wolverines have been good at home, and they’ll get it done on homecoming.
The Wolverine Senior Editor John Borton: Michigan 34, Maryland 17
Maryland is better than people think … then again, so is Michigan, even after the scare at Northwestern.
TheWolverine.com Recruiting Editor Brandon Brown: Michigan 34, Maryland 13
Maryland has some players but not quite enough to beat Michigan inside The Big House. If this were at Maryland it might be a little scary, but U-M should be able to roll.
TheWolverine.com Staff Writer Austin Fox: Michigan 28, Maryland 17
Michigan displayed several of its disturbing 2017 trends last Saturday at Northwestern, so it’ll be crucial the Wolverines put together an all-around solid performance this weekend — especially offensively. That may not be easy to do, though, against what actually appears to be a quality Maryland team.
TheWolverine.com columnist Drew Hallett: Michigan 31, Maryland 14
Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has had Maryland's number, outscoring the Terrapins, 122-13, in their three matchups. That will not change on Saturday.
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